Grand jury gets case of man in police shootout

Tuesday

Aug 20, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 20, 2013 at 8:03 PM

No one was injured Aug. 9 when Steven Bubenchik Jr., 40, allegedly shot at police officers, but windows of cruisers were shattered and bullets ended up in neighbors’ homes. His case was bound over to a Stark County grand jury on Monday.

Christina McCune

A city man who is accused of shooting at police officers and damaging police cruisers in front of his residence had his case bound over Monday to a Stark County grand jury.

Bullets shattered windows of two police cruisers and left bullet holes in the vehicles and neighbors’ homes in the early morning hours Aug. 9 in the 700 block of Geiger Avenue SW.

Steven Bubenchik Jr., 40, is charged with three counts of attempting to commit aggravated murder for each of the three police officers who were shot at from an upstairs window of the house. He also faces felony charges of having weapons under disability and receiving stolen property.

Bubenchik had a preliminary hearing Monday morning in front of Judge C. Roland Centrone in Municipal Court. He remains in Stark County Jail on $500,000 bond.

City Prosecutor John Simpson called on Officer Curtis Ricker to testify, and he answered questions posed to him by Simpson and Stark County Public Defender Matthew S. Kuhn.

Officers had responded to the residence around 11:30 p.m. Aug. 8 to check on the man in response to a family member concerned Bubenchik may harm himself. They couldn’t find anyone there. A little after 1 a.m. Aug. 9, officers conducted another welfare check in response to a caller.

An officer negotiated with Bubenchik and another officer received permission from a family member to enter the residence through an open window when shots first rang out.

Canton SWAT officers arrived on the scene and continued negotiations. Bubenchik exited the residence and was arrested.

Bubenchik previously served time in prison for felonious assault. The Glock semi-automatic 9 mm weapon that was used in the shootout was reported stolen a few years back, Ricker said.

Reach Christina at 330-775-1133 or christina.mccune@indeonline.com
On Twitter: @cmccuneINDE